Another Wynne win not out of question

It’s not inconceivable that ­Kathleen Wynne, Canada’s least ­popular premier, could win the next provincial election in 2018.

After a year in which her popularity dropped like a stone, mostly because of skyrocketing electricity bills, Ontario’s premier appears to be taking stock of her position and recalibrating her image and that of her party.

First, there was her public retreat from the Green Energy policy. Although the cost of developing an infrastructure for wind and solar energy can’t account entirely for Ontario’s lofty electricity prices, they remain a visual reminder of a program that has been costly and is linked to higher electricity prices.

Wynne in September said her government wouldn’t pursue new contracts under the Green Energy policy. That doesn’t mean existing contracts worth billions of dollars have been cancelled, but she has managed to momentarily distance herself from the program.

Second, in November she apologized to those who attended the annual general meeting of the provincial Liberal party, assuming the blame for the government’s negative image, and promising to correct what needs to be corrected.

Third, Wynne has been making overtures to regions outside the Greater Toronto Area that, for a variety of reasons, haven’t fared as well in a strengthening Ontario economy.

She has alluded to Donald Trump’s triumph in U.S. election, concluding that while the conditions she believes led to his victory don’t necessarily exist in Ontario, she wants to make sure they never do.

To that end, Wynne has promised to make a greater effort in reaching out to the rest of the province, believing — perhaps arrogantly — that such an effort will endear her and her government to those parts of Ontario where she hasn’t achieved electoral support.

Such an effort would appear to be doomed, but it worked for Wynne in 2014 when she led her government to a resounding victory. The Liberals, weighed down by scandal, were ripe for the picking by the Progressive Conservatives. But PC leader Tim Hudak blundered by announcing a 100,000-job loss in the civil service if elected (the fact the reduction would be over eight years and achieved mostly through attrition was lost in the hysteria that followed) and Wynne coasted to victory.

The biggest thing Wynne has in her favour is the poor memory of the electorate. Her personal support is low now, but the judgment that counts will come in June 2018.